Worcester's Melrose Street may get long-sought I-290 sound barrier

Thursday

Oct 31, 2013 at 9:30 PMOct 31, 2013 at 10:17 PM

By Nick Kotsopoulos, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — For about 40 years, Nicholas Alexanian and his neighbors on Melrose Street have been trying to get the state to put up a sound barrier along the section of Interstate 290 that runs adjacent to their street.

Mr. Alexanian, 86, a retired engineer, said he is the last survivor of the 12 Melrose Street residents who originally petitioned the City Council for the sound barrier 40 years ago.

He said his home at 16 Melrose St. is "a 9-iron" shot away from I-290, and because of its proximity to the highway his family and their neighbors have had to endure the noise of trucks rumbling by.

"Our homes and quality of life were thrown under the bus," Mr. Alexanian told the City Council Tuesday night. "We submitted a petition 40 years ago for a sound barrier (along Melrose Street) in the belief that it was a reasonable solution to the noise problem. But nothing ever came of it.

"We made more overtures for the sound barrier over the years, only to be met by what we consider to be a willing indifference," he continued. "We were even labeled by some as a pimple on the face of progress just for asking for the sound barrier."

Refusing to give up, Mr. Alexanian has made another appeal for the sound barrier.

Tuesday night, the City Council took up a petition that District 2 Councilor Philip P. Palmieri filed on Mr. Alexanian's behalf, requesting that a sound barrier be placed between I-290 and Melrose Street, a one-way street that runs between Burncoat and Lincoln streets.

"This has been an ongoing issue for many, many years, and something needs to be done about it," Mr. Palmieri said. "It's not a sexy issue, but these people have to put up with the noise from (I-290) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's been more than frustrating that we haven't been able to come up with a resolution that satisfied the neighbors."

Mr. Alexanian said he has been advised by state highway officials that there are requests for 53 sound barriers statewide. Given that, it doesn't look like a sound barrier along Melrose Street is going to be in the cards any time soon.

He said the state planted trees along Melrose Street many years ago in the hope of creating a sound buffer between the neighborhood and the highway. But he said that not only proved ineffective, but several of the trees were damaged or knocked down by storms over the years.

At Mr. Palmieri's request, the City Council Tuesday night unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the state Legislature to have the Massachusetts Department of Transportation erect a sound barrier along Melrose Street.

In addition, Councilor-at-Large Kathleen M. Toomey asked for a report from MassDOT on the sound barrier request and its history.

"Respect for this neighborhood is important enough," Mr. Palmieri said.

District 3 Councilor George J. Russell said what has happened on Melrose Street is reminiscent of the battle residents of the Lake Avenue area are having with the state over noise from CSX trains.

Some residents there have been talking about having sound barriers erected in their neighborhood as well.

"It's time for the commonwealth of Massachusetts to realize that when they're coming in with development, it affects our neighborhoods," Mr. Russell said. "It affects our families, and (the state) just can't shut the door and say move aside for progress. They just can't do that.

"(The Melrose Street) people have been putting up with this noise for 40 years and my fear is that the folks on Worcester's East Side are going to be putting up with the noise from the trains for many years."

Contact Nick Kotsopoulos at nicholas.kotsopoulos@telegram.com

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